Doug and Joyce are champion proclaimers. Their internal drive is to share God’s love in multiple forms, especially through Jesus honoring written word. Their Russian River Outreach is inspiring and eternal in it’s impact.

Following is today’s report from Doug and Joyce. Enjoy and give glory to God! ( I have edited out the names of those privately mentioned to me.)

Thank you for praying for this Russian River Outreach. It took a while for this outreach to come to pass but the timing today was God’s plan. Your prayers were timely and they did reach the throne room in Heaven on our behalf.

We (Joyce and I) handed out 93 Step Up To Life Bookmarks with a Russian River Fly taped on each one. Again this year the fishermen enjoyed picking out their colored fly of choice. When they are doing this we are silently praying for them as well.

The third person that asked me for a bookmark was one of the ferry boat workers. His name is ——-. He is from Mississippi. He came up to Alaska to get work. He told me in our conversation that he went to three different Bible schools. But he didn’t know the Lord. I went through the steps on the bookmark and he saw his need to repent and believe on the Lord to be saved. After he prayed he told me that he felt a peace that he never felt before and a heavy weight was lifted off of him. One of the first things he did was to go over where Joyce was praying and he told her what he just did. He wanted an extra bookmark to give out to someone today. He was rejoicing, the angels were rejoicing and we are rejoicing. 🙂

The next person that I talked with was a fisherman from Anchorage. His name is ——–. He came fishing with is wife and his father. ——— to us looked like a hard one to share the bookmark with. But God had a plan for him. After going through the goodness test, he saw his need to repent and believe. One of his comments was that he knew he couldn’t commit his life to the Lord until he repented. I explained the importance of repentance and what he needed to repent of. Joyce said you could see the Holy Spirit working. He was ready to make his commitment. But he wanted his wife ———- to pray with him. He told us that she was after him and the family to make this kind of commitment. So there you have it. The angels rejoice over one sinner who repents and believes.

Many fishermen today were very interested in the bookmark. Joyce watched a man read his for a long time.

I am speaking tonight at a pre-tournament worship service for the Island Revival 2nd Annual Softball Tournament. What is the essence of competition? When the lights dim, the crowds disperse, the event is over and you are all alone with your thoughts…what will matter then?

Competition really isn’t about winning; it is about excelling as a person within the competition.

If competition is about winning, any means is justified. Win in any way, at any cost, regardless of character, integrity, and honesty.

Today, in particular, this is of interest. Roger Clemens was found not-guilty of lying to Congress (and many other charges) about cheating in sports with steroids and human growth hormones. Roger has been a remarkable winner. The question was simply, did he excel as a person with the competition or did he go outside of the competition?

For our Island Revival Softball Tournament let’s use 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 as the competition within which we excel at softball.

1. Love
2. Patience
3. Kindness
4. No envy
5. No boasting
6. No pride
7. No dishonor of others
8. No self-seeking
9. No easy anger
10. No record of wrongs
11. Rejoice with the truth

Why is enjoyment such a difficult idea for some followers of Jesus to embrace with enthusiasm? It’s almost like God didn’t, indeed couldn’t, say of His creation, “It is good.”

The spiritual and the enjoyable are not polar opposites!

Have you seen people struggle with the question, “Should I enjoy this or must I be spiritual?”

Why not both? At the same time? With a touch of hilarity?

My hope is that our children enjoy their childhood, family, and home. I trust that Paula enjoys her marriage, life, and ministry.

Of life’s blessings? I say, “Enjoy them or give them away so that the other guy can enjoy them! Are you no longer finding joy in your 1983 Porsche Turbo Carrera? Give it away (may I suggest to whom? LOL). No joy left in great grandmother’s pink china set? Give it away! Has the joy departed from carrying those extra pounds around everyday? Get rid of them.

Of life’s new interests? Give it a go (to quote my Aussie friend). Buy the camera and start capturing images of beautiful birds. Plant the garden and see what grows. Pick up the ukulele and start strumming.

Of your Christian faith? Find happiness in your weekend worship experience. Re-discover the delight of reading the Bible. Celebrate the amazingly unique members of the Christian family. Enjoy God.

“Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work, – this is a gift of God”. Ecclesiastes 5:19

PS: The flower photos are from our hotel landscaping, in El Salvador. Between our scheduled events I took time to ENJOY! :0)

Expect God to “Wow” you. That is right. He is more spectacular than we can imagine and more generous than anyone we have ever known.
The Israelites were instructed, “Stand still and see the salvation of God.” My way of saying it today, “Stand still and watch God ‘wow’ you.”
God parting a sea and folks walking through on dry ground? WOW!
A steal axe head floating in a rushing river? WOW!
Speaking the universe into existence? WOW!
Tax money in the mouth of a fish? WOW!
Rising from the dead on the third day? WOW!
As a congregation, we are studying how God enables His children to flourish. According to Psalm 92 the wicked flourish like grass, but the righteous like Palm trees. Are you a lawn or are you towering palm? The Psalmist’s idea is that lawns flourish for a little while but the righteous flourish forever.
“Wow” us Lord. We stand in awe of you.